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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — a law
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — a song
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rule — government
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — a division
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com